You might shy away from weight training because you’re not a “gym person”. Or, because you don’t want to get big and bulky. But no matter what your body goals are, or what your fitness style is, you still need some weight training in your life. It helps to keep your entire body heathy and strong. Here’s how.

Support your mental health with weight training 

If you want to boost your confidence and mood, studies find that adding weight training to your fitness routine may help. You don’t even have to have actual weights – your own body weight will do. Popular moves like pushups, squats, lunges and jumping jacks all qualify as weight training. 

Weight training increases bone density 

As women get older, they’re at greater risk for losing bone density and calcium stores. Research shows that weight training can help prevent this by increasing bone density.

Weight training increases muscle mass

Yes, it’s true that weight training increases muscle mass, but women don’t have the same amount of hormones that men do to bulk up muscles. So, when women weight train, they lose fat and replace it with lean muscle, instead of getting big and bulky.

Weight training increases metabolism

With continued weight training, your body’s metabolism rates increase. This in turn, boosts metabolism and promotes a steady and consistent calorie burn. With increased metabolism, you can prevent unwanted weight gain, as this study found. 

Weight training benefits your heart

Lifting and pushing weight – yes, even your own body weight – can improve your blood pressure and strengthen your overall vasculature, which helps to prevent cardiovascular disease. 

You don’t have to become a body builder get these weight training benefits. Just some simple exercises, like pushups and squats, are a great place to start so you can start.